(Newser)
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A North Carolina preschooler arrived at school with a lunch packed by her mom, but ended up eating just three chicken nuggets from the school cafeteria because a state agent didn't think her packed lunch was nutritious enough. Pre-kindergarten programs are required to serve lunches that meet USDA guidelines—one serving each of meat, milk, and grain, and two servings of fruit or vegetables—and if lunches sent from home don't meet the guidelines, the programs must provide whatever is missing. The preschooler's lunch included a turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice, the Carolina Journal reports.

The agent who inspected all classroom lunches on Jan. 30 apparently told the girl hers did not meet the requirements, and the preschooler was provided with a cafeteria lunch. All she ate from that were the chicken nuggets, she told her mother, leaving behind everything else on the tray and bringing her packed lunch home untouched. Her mother got a note from the school warning that students who don't bring a "healthy lunch" could be charged for the missing portions that are provided; in this case the cafeteria fee was listed as $1.25. It's not clear what caused the home-packed lunch to be disqualified—a spokesperson for the Division of Child Development says it appears to have met the requirements, and adds that the girl's parents should not have been charged.

Duh the mother forgot the pizza slice. But seriously what was wrong with the lunch that made trans fat fried chicken nuggets the healthier option? Anyway if you do this sort of thing, it should be constructive i.e. the note should tell the parent what was wrong/needed improvement with an appeals system.

Dale

Feb 16, 2012 7:49 AM CST

Mom's watch out Big Brother is watching you! How did we get to this where the federal government is intruding on every aspect of our existence. I guess we had better get used to it, the new normal. More hope & change. Thank-you President Obama for letting the little people know the proper way to live our life. What else can we do to please you?